Maybings is Ripe in the Land of the Sleeping Bear

By Norm Wheeler
Sun editor
A colander of noodles floats in a pot of boiling water in the steamy corner of the kitchen. On the stovetop, savory bubbles pop through homemade Thai Peanut sauce. Sarah Jane Grierson says, “I’m just helping,” as she starts a batch of Sweet & Sour sauce from scratch. The weekend specials at Maybings, Glen Arbor’s new Asian inspired Eastern & Middle Eastern eatery, are at full simmer.

For some people, everything starts at once. Andrea Dean and McCord Henry just helped their son, McKai Leland Henry enter this world on June 4 at 11:01 p.m. (8 pounds, 4 ounces, 21 inches). Almost simultaneously they opened the new Maybings Take-out on Western Avenue in Glen Arbor. In the front room of the converted house is a small art gallery. Andrea shifts McKai to the other hip as she explains how the gallery will sell “my jewelry and photography, paintings by Jenny Evans, and soon stained glass by Hadley Wilkerson. We want to add more art and get a rotation going of works by some of the local artists.” There are some fine, eclectic pieces in the gallery for the eyes, but then the aroma leads you by the nose into the kitchen.
McCord is working on the menu for the summer. “Well, to start with we’ll have homemade egg rolls from scratch.”
“Everyone says they’re the best egg rolls they’ve ever had,” Andrea chirps.
“There’ll also be Greek pasta salad,” McCord continues, “As well as hummus, sesame chicken, fried rice, falafel, and veggie and grilled cheese sandwiches.” Maybings will also feature daily dessert specials (“like chocolate cheesecake and rhubarb strawberry”), and a Daily Special. “Today it’s the Tongol Tuna Sandwich. And we’ll have some Chef’s Choice specials depending on mood, weather, and ingredients.”
The aim of Maybings is to serve food that is all organic, fresh and from scratch. “Our goal is to be fast, efficient, but especially to focus on food that’s not generic. We want to be an exception to the usual 45-minute wait to eat in Glen Arbor when it gets busy.” Zoned for take-out, Maybings has no inside seating, but there are a couple of tables outside on a patio. McCord Henry brings the experience of working nine seasons at Art’s Tavern in Glen Arbor as a prep and grill cook, and Andrea has similar experience from five seasons at the Village Inn in Empire.
McCord also moonlights in the restoration of vintage autos. “I apprenticed in Florida with Ron Mattheson at Sky Dog, Inc. making extreme hotrods. Up here I’ve restored a 1955 Studebaker, a 1968 Plymouth Valiant, and I drive a restored flat black 1964 Mercury Comet. (Surely this is the favorite all-time car for astronomers: two members of the solar system in its name!)
And how did Maybings get its name? Andrea explains: “We were opening in May, and we’re both inspired by an art nouveau enthusiast named Bing.” The young couple wants to keep Maybings open all year.
“The ideal would be for Andrea to eventually run Maybings and for me to get an auto restoration shop set up,” McCord smiles. “We’ll see.”
The giddy excitement of this new family with their tiny son and brand new business is infectious as they grin for the camera. The Glen Arbor Sun wishes Andrea, McCord, McKai, McCord’s sister Marion Marxer who is helping out this inaugural summer, and Maybings good luck. For Asian-inspired Eastern and Middle Eastern take-out call Maybings, 334-2442.